The present invention relates generally to rotary cutters and more specifically to structure for preventing windrowing of the material cut by a rotary cutter.
Dual-rotor rotary cutters adapted for towing behind a tractor typically utilize counterrotating blades so that material bent forwardly by the tractor wheels will be approached by a blade having a rearward component of travel to assure that the bent material is effectively cut. The counterrotating blades, however, direct the cut material to the center of the machine at the rear to form a windrow. In most instances, windrowing is undesirable and hampers drying of the cut material, mats the uncut material and causes streaking in the cut field. In fields that are to be plowed or disked, windrowing causes excessive blocking of the tillage implements. Rotating both blades in the same direction reduces windrowing but also results in uneven and ineffective cutting of the material in at least one of the tractor wheel tracks.
Various types of dividers and baffles have been proposed to control windrowing, and examples of such may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,653; 4,099,366; 3,469,376 and 3,157,014. The available dividers and baffles are relatively large or complex, are easily damaged or rendered ineffective, and are often the cause of material build-up around the mower deck.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary mower which overcomes the above-mentioned problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved multi-blade rotary mower which effectively prevents windrowing of the mowed material.
It is yet another object to provide simple, economical and non-clogging baffle structure for a rotary mower which prevents windrowing and causes even distribution across the entire width of cut of the mower.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description which follows and from the drawings.